May I Have This Dance? An Invitation to Five Films About Transformation
Class | This program is completed
The great dancer and choreographer Martha Graham said, “Dance is the hidden language of the soul.” Albert Einstein said, “Dancers are the athletes of God.” Through movement and deep feelings that connect people on a profound level, dance changes lives.
In this course, we will watch five special movies in which the characters’ complex lives are transformed by dance. From China to Northeast England, from Pittsburgh to Japan to the Catskill Mountains, we will meet Li Cunxin, Billy Elliot, Alex Owens, Shohei Sugiyama and Frances “Baby” Houseman, experience stunning performances, delight in a variety of dance styles — ballet, ballroom, freestyle, hip hop, breakdancing — and then talk about how dance is a language that speaks to the soul.
I invite you to join me as we watch these movies in their entirety:
- Shall We Dance?, 1996, directed by Masayuki Suo
- Billy Elliot, 2000, directed by Stephen Daldry
- Flashdance, 1983, directed by Adrian Lyne
- Mao’s Last Dancer, 2004, directed by Bruce Beresford
- Dirty Dancing, 1989, directed by Emilio Ardolino
Beverly Marshall
Beverly Marshall dedicated her professional career to fostering education, culture, and community connection. After serving in senior administration at WNET/Thirteen and leading public programming at The Cooper Union, she relocated to New England in 2006 to serve as associate director at the Upper Valley Educators Institute. Driven by a lifelong passion for vibrant discussion, Beverly designs her classes to spark meaningful conversations around culture, social change and the human spirit.